Venezuela’s economic crisis has taken a turn for the worse as hungry mobs of people invade the zoos in an attempt to find food for their families.

The Inquisitr previously reported on how the food shortages are causing zoo animals to starve to death as zoo employees attempt to prioritize which animals should be fed the limited rations they have available. However, reports have stated that hungry Venezuelans are now breaking into the zoos to butcher the animals inside so they can feed their families. A recent victim of the hungry mobs is a black stallion that lived in Caricuao Zoo. The incident occurred on July 24.

Reports from the Mirror claim that the angry mob of residents were hit hard by the economic crisis and had no choice but to search out food in any way possible. As a result, they broke into the zoo in the early morning hours when they were sure no one else would be around. They approached the black stallion and led it to a secluded area where they chopped it up into smaller pieces that were easier to remove from the zoo. They then left with the horse meat so they could feed their families.

Earlier in July, several pigs and sheep were also stolen from the zoo for food, according to Metro.

When the zoo staff arrived in the morning, they were devastated to find that their only black stallion was missing from its pen. The horse’s ribs and head were found in a pile where the slaughter took place.

It is thought that residents of Venezuela are turning to the zoo animals for food since they are already starving to death in their cages. Rather than allow the animals to die and rot away, the residents are choosing to put them to the best use they can serve before they starve to death. According to the Caricuao Zoo, some of the animals have not eaten in as many as 15 days.

An attempt to steal and sell horses in the Zulia region has been foiled by the Venezuelan National Guard. However, many zoo animal apprehensions do not receive an intervention.

The issue is expected to get worse as families are forced to stand in line for hours to receive limited rations of food that are barely enough to survive on as the economic crisis continues to hinder the country’s well-being. The economic crisis is being blamed on the socialist regime that controls Venezuela, resulting in the worst food shortages ever experienced in the region.

Hungry enough to eat a horse? Starving people in Venezuela were. They broke into a zoo and killed one for its meat. https://t.co/boZKac0tgu

Although authorities are investigating the slaughter of the black stallion, the zoo officials are mostly responsible for the safety of security of the animals. However, the workers at the zoo are largely unprepared to stop any intrusions by angry mobs, especially those that are motivated solely by hunger.

Zoo officials claim that the few workers that are on staff overnight are not well equipped to handle most situations. They do not even have flashlights to allow them to find their way in the dark.

“When workers hear something at night, they head into the dark at their own risk.”

As horrific as the situation is, the residents must choose between their survival and the survival of the animals that are close to death already. Although unimaginable in cultures such as the United States, the situation is very real in Venezuela, and there is no hopeful end in sight.